


Nothing To Lose But Your Chains

by Eggpants



Category: The Centricide (Webseries)
Genre: Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24153925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggpants/pseuds/Eggpants
Summary: Tankie sets out to DESTROY Post-Left with FACTS and LOGIC, but alas, the facts don't care about his feelings. Coincidentally, neither does qui.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46





	Nothing To Lose But Your Chains

"Oh. You."

Qui opened the door to reveal a distant fever dream standing there in the flesh. He was haggard, probably from the ravages of time having chipped away at his fleeting memory.

"Well, why don't you come on in. Make yourself at home."

"Look, I don't mean to anger you-"

"No, I'm not angry. Please, have a seat."

Qui spoke with disinterested curiosity. The phantom drifted into the parallel world to which he had been so callously invited, an invader to a foreign land. It was a modest abode, suspiciously so; it didn't feel lived in, at least not by this particular individual. Perhaps qui hadn't been living here, only existing here; quis spirit was busy haunting him. The bare walls surrounded him, hopelessly trapping him in what felt like a foreign prison.

"To be honest with you, I was hoping you wouldn't come."

"Why?"

"I know you want me to say that I hate you. That the thought of even seeing you boils my blood."

"Why would I want you to say that?"

"Because it would mean you still have power over me. I don't hate you, though. The truth is, I'm disappointed by your predictability more than anything."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it was obvious that you would come here sooner or later. God, you're predictable, just like every other so-called radical. I don't know what you wanted to tell me, but it’ll probably be a waste of your time. I'm not going to change my mind." Qui poured a cup of water, not even making eye contact with the intruder. "Do you want something to drink?"

"I- I think I'm good, but thanks." Why was qui doing this? Why was qui treating him like nothing had happened? Like they were simultaneously cordial acquaintances and ex-lovers?

"Well then, what was it you came all this way to say to me?"

"… I'm sorry. Truly. I'm so sorry, I don't know how to apologize for-"

"Sorry for what, exactly?"

"The way I treated you. I should have realized how much I would regret losing you, and it's just too much." Tears welled up in his eyes, a rare display of weakness. "I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me, but I wish you'd come back."

Qui rolled quis eyes. "Of course you want to make this about you. That's so predictable."

"I know, I know, I'm selfish. I'm selfish. But you're not like that. You can teach me, I can become a better person. I can become like you."

"You don't think I can teach you anything," qui said, eyeing the alien briefly before taking a sip of water. "You just want me to believe you've changed." Qui spoke as if qui were explaining the pythagorean theorem rather than twisting the knife into a wound.

"But really, I have! I've learned a lot since you've been gone. You were right about me, but I didn't want to admit it. I'll listen to you, I'll do whatever it takes for you to please just come back."

The tormentor let out a chuckle. "Too little too late. You know, if you’d said that a couple months ago, I would have probably believed you. I was kind of head over heels for you, but to be honest, rose colored glasses aren’t really my style these days." Qui joked as if qui hadn't just casually dropped the biggest bombshell since Hiroshima. 

"You… what?"

"Oh, yeah, I’m shocked no one noticed. I loved you back then. It's pretty funny looking back on it."

The room was deadly silent for what seemed like hours. 

"Look, please don't tell me that's why you came here. To confess that you're in love with me or something stupid. God, I should’ve known you’d pull something like this."

"I…" he looked down at his boots. This whole situation was now ten times more awkward.

"That person doesn't exist anymore, you know. You're in love with a memory. That's kind of sad, to be honest."

"Is he a memory?"

Qui took a long sip of quis ice cold water. It was cool, fresh, distracting. Qui didn't know how to respond to this, admittedly cheesy, question.

"See, that right there, that’s proof you haven’t changed. But...maybe _qui_ is still there."

There was now an electric energy flowing through the room, 1000 volts directly into the imposter sitting on the chair in the living room. He hadn’t realized he was in the electric chair, but it didn’t feel like a bad thing in this particular moment. He looked up, and for the first time, the two made eye contact.

"Really? You think so?"

"Haha, of course not,” he laughed. The electric chair was an execution device, after all. “To be honest, I'm getting kind of tired of your attempts at emotional manipulation, so I figured I’d try it myself. I have to say, that was pretty good."

He looked away, clenching his fist. "You’re a bastard."

"It took you this long to notice?"

"This isn't fair. You’re being cruel."

"I'm doing you a favor, bud. I'm helping you get over quim."

"You know what, that's it." He got up and moved angrily to the door. "It was a mistake to come here." The room was calm, silent. Was he still alive, or was he just a disembodied soul who had left his mortal body behind on that godforsaken couch? If he turned around, would he see them wheeling him out of the room on a gurney? Would he still be writhing as the electric current flowed through his bones? He looked back only to see the echo of the person he’d once known smirking as qui sipped from quis glass of water.

"Oh, come on, don't give me that look. You’re free to leave at any time, I’m not stopping you." Qui set down the water on the coffee table, leaning forward and resting quis elbows on quis knees. "But that's not what you really wanted, is it?"

"Don't talk to me." He turned the doorknob, dug his last little bit of the tunnel that would let him escape this cell. And the guard was just letting him get away, almost as if this weren't a real prison at all. Or maybe it was a prison, but he wasn’t the one behind bars. And here was the lone inmate, the key to freedom sitting right there in front of quim, right around the corner but qui just couldn’t see it yet. He let go of the doorknob.

"Oh sorry, is it locked?"

"I apologize. I shouldn't have gotten so angry just now."

"Why? It was perfectly justified."

"No. It only proves you right even further."

"You know, I'm allowed to be right about things sometimes. I know you leftists like to have some quote from an obscure 18th century political philosopher at hand every time someone says something you disagree with, but the rest of us realize that’s kinda dumb. You used to shut down everything I said using that stupid tactic, but I’m kind of over that now."

"Well, I don't want you to be right about this."

"Why do I care what you want? I don't exist just for your own personal character development."

He didn’t reply at first. He’d moved on from the electric chair to death by firing squad, and the shots were coming in quick. “You think that’s all I care about? You don’t understand what you’re doing. You’re killing yourself here.”

“In what way? Because my happiness doesn’t involve you?”

Another bitter bullet. “No, it’s not about that.”

“You know Tankie, I don’t think you’re a bad person. One thing I always admired about you is you stand by your principles. That’s also the reason I can’t go back.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your ideology and mine aren’t compatible. When it comes time to choose, you’ll always betray me for your ideology.”

“That’s not true!”

“Oh, isn’t it?” The ice clinked against the glass as qui picked it up again. Qui sighed. “I’m not sure what else to say to you. You’re not going to ‘convert’ me or something, and I doubt I’ll convince you of anything. I can’t say this conversation has been very productive, but for what it’s worth, I found it interesting.”

“You did?”

“Problem is, it’s already starting to lose its novelty. I could easily see this getting annoying, so I think it would be for the best if you leave while we’re on good terms.”

“I-” He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again. Reluctantly, he placed his hand on the doorknob again. Qui was still sitting there with the cell door key right in front of him, wholly convinced that he wasn’t even a prisoner. “Goodbye, Anarkiddy.”

“Tankie, I wish you all the happiness in the world. Now with all due respect, I never want to see you again.”

The door closed behind him, and in that moment, he had none of the happiness in the world. But maybe, just maybe, if he read enough theory,he’d finally find what he needed to bring quem back to the Left. Maybe if he came back in two weeks’ time, he’d be able to file down the bars a little bit more.


End file.
